On Being an Expatriate: Finding a "Home Away from Home"

Updated on February 24, 2011

Daniel J. Durand

Travel
is a topic that rarely disappoints in conversation. The idea of
travelling and seeing the world is both romantic and exhilarating to
those who wish to better know the world around them. Most people, if
not wishing to travel themselves, may at least be able to understand
the excitement caused by the notion of seeing the Eiffel Tower, or
taking a trip on the Trans-Siberian railroad. For those who hunger
for adventure, world travel is a buffet, and while a vacation abroad
may offer a taste, becoming an expatriate may be a more satisfying
alternative.

Expatriates,
or people who live outside of their home country, can lead a very
exciting lifestyle. Living and working amongst the populace of a
foreign country, they have the opportunity to do what can’t be done
during a brief vacation. Expatriates “go native”, learning the
ins and outs of their host countries, seeing things in more depth
than regular tourists would. They experience the day-to-day,
developing an understanding of local politics, culture, behavior, and
so on that under normal circumstances only a native could have.

The
reasons for becoming an expatriate vary. Sometimes people get tired
of living in their home country, maybe for political reasons. Maybe,
as mentioned earlier, they just want to travel. People may also find
themselves living abroad as part of their job, to attend school, or
because of a spouse. Whatever the case, expatriates are an excellent
medium for cultural exchange for both the expatriate and the host
country.

The
question is, how does one go about becoming an expatriate? Depending
on what country a person is from originally, and where they are
going, it may be difficult. For westerners, it’s fairly easy to
travel and live abroad thanks to a higher standard of living and
general lack of political turmoil. Other countries like North Korea
or Iran would have extreme punishments for attempting to enter or
leave. Generally, a person would have to go through the proper
channels, perhaps through an embassy, before getting the appropriate
travel documents and arranging transportation. The entire process
could take anywhere from a few days to several years.

Where
to go is an important decision, and a number of factors should be
considered. Do the people in a particular country speak another
language, and if so, would it be necessary to learn it? How expensive
is it to live there, and what about employment? Every country is
different. The expatriate-to-be should do their homework before
making any serious decisions, and try to find a good fit for their
individual needs.

For
example, according to the article “World’s Best Places to Be an
Expat”, Singapore is the world’s number one country to live as an
expatriate. The nation has strict laws, but makes up for it with what
the article called a “luxurious” standard of living. Nearly half
of expatriates living in Hong Kong make around $200,000 every year.
India offers low costs for most services, making it easier to save
money, but is very crowded and without adequate infrastructure in
some areas. The article cited a study of people living abroad
conducted by HSBC Bank (Ram). Really, choosing a country to live in
comes down to preference, circumstance, and a person’s own
tolerance for different conditions.

Finding
work while abroad is another concern. Unless an expatriate is already
wealthy, or at least doesn’t have to worry about an income, like
retirees and people with trust funds, they’re going to need a job.
People from English-speaking countries have a significant advantage.
English has become a prominent world language, and practically every
non-English country is scrambling to get native speakers to teach
their citizens. While not exactly the most lucrative job available,
teaching at least offers some form of income for the beginning
expatriate, and can be a good way to get a foothold overseas until
something better comes along.

Pay
ranges from country to country, and can be anywhere from nothing to
$50,000 a year depending on certification, whether a person is
teaching at a language school, or if they’re volunteering rather
than earning a salary. Usually, a teacher would be required to sign a
contract for one full year of teaching, the best jobs going to those
with experience. Essentially, anyone who speaks English fluently can
get a job anywhere, but certain regions prefer certain dialects. Asia
and South America tend to prefer American English, while Europe and
Africa prefer British, and countries in Eastern Europe and the former
Soviet Union will take anyone they can get their hands on
(“SoYouWanna Teach English Abroad?”).

To
sum this all up so far, in order to become an expatriate, a person
has to first research where they want to go, how they’re going to
get there, and what they need to get through customs. Once in the
country, they need to establish themselves by finding work, a place
to live, and getting to know the people. Really the only difference
between moving to another country and moving to another city within
your own country is filling out paperwork. After that, it just takes
adjustment.

With
all of the information available via the internet these days, anyone
who would be interested in a foreign experience could start planning
for it right away. Unfortunately for some, their grand adventure
never gets past the planning stages and dies on the drawing board.
There are plenty of reasons for this to happen, some valid, some not.
Since it’s already been established how to go about living abroad,
what are some of the reasons that people who want to choose not to?

In
her article, “Stop Talking About Becoming an Expat—Just Get on
and Do It”, Susan Beverly, a writer for Escape From America, lists
several reasons people who consider living abroad ultimately stay at
home. Among them are concerns over medical care, cost of living,
quality of education, and conflicts of patriotism. Medical care,
Beverly claims, is an irrelevant excuse, as quality doctors and
medicine can be found all over the world, and often times at a lower
cost than in the United States. She also states that expatriates tend
to earn more than non-expatriates, and that education abroad,
particularly for children, can be a benefit rather than a concern.
Perhaps the biggest issue, patriotism, Beverly portrays as being
reversed logic; rather than betraying one’s own country by leaving,
one serves their country by acting as a representative, exchanging
ideas and contributing to the global community (Beverly).

Much
of Beverly’s article is derived from experience, her being an
expatriate herself. However, there are many more expatriates in the
world, numbering at approximately 190 million (Ram). What do some of
the others have to say?

Kevin
Cooney is a comedian and writer living in Tokyo. Originally from the
Syracuse, New York area, Cooney moved to Japan in 2001 after living
in New York City, Los Angeles, and London. In addition to his other
work, he also makes videos about his life in Japan, which he then
posts on the internet via YouTube under the name “Tokyocooney”.
In one video, Cooney went home to the United States, saying “As
I’ve lived in Japan longer and longer, it’s less like I’ve
taken a trip there, and more like I’m coming back to visit here.”
(Cooney).

Another
American expatriate to Japan, Tom Fallon, is the lead singer and
guitarist of his band “The Ghost of Matsubara”. Fallon, also from
Syracuse, came to Japan in 2005, at first teaching English through
one of Japan’s government programs. Like Cooney, Fallon posts
videos related to his experiences abroad, as well as his band, on
YouTube. When answering questions from fans about his life before
going away to Japan and why he went, he said, “I came to Japan kind
of on a whim.”, and that he “wanted something more.” He has
since found what he was looking for (Fallon).

Every
country in the world is different. With all of the options available
to a person willing to move overseas, it’s hardly justifiable to
shrug off the idea because of a generalization. In a continuously
shrinking world, it’s something everyone could consider, if not for
the thrill and adventure, than at least to better understand other
people. While living in a foreign country is definitely not for
everybody, for the reasons mentioned earlier or reasons specific to
an individual, people like Cooney, Beverly, and Fallon prove that for
some it may be just the right fit.

Works Cited

Beverly, Susan.
“Stop Talking About Becoming an Expat—Just Get on and Do It”.
Escape
From America.19
Nov. 2010.
<http://www.escapefromamerica.com/2010/06/stop-talking-about-becoming-an-expat-just-get-on-and-do-it/>.

Cooney, Kevin. “Life
in Tokyo: Vlog #45 Final Days in the Middle of Nowhere”. YouTube.
Nov. 17 2010.
<http://www.youtube.com/user/tokyocooney?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/69/Timu9mgkuic>.

Hi I'm an ex-Englishman living in Australia, since 1977. I think i learnt a great deal more by moving, and mixing with people from every country on the globe. Your writing skills are highly developed and i will look forward to following you and reading more of your hubs, Cheers

jEmSSnn01 4 years ago from NY

My partner and I are also expatriate and we both love moving from one country to another, our biggest concern only is that our kids may lose their sense of identity but other than that we love learning new culture and meeting different people.